memory_alphafandomcom-20200223-history
Andorian
The Andorians are a humanoid species from the moon Andoria, capital world of the Andorian Empire, which was a founding member of the United Federation of Planets. Physiology Most Andorians have a distinctive blue skin and white or silver hair. A sub-species of Andorians known as the Aenar have white skin; unlike the blue Andorians, the Aenar are blind and telepathic. Andorians and Aenar are genetically compatible and can produce offspring. (ENT: "These Are the Voyages...") Andorians have a higher metabolism than humans. (ENT: "United") Andorians are very susceptible to high temperatures, an Andorian can lose 10% of its body weight in as little as two days in climates approaching the boiling point of water. (ENT: "The Aenar") Because of the unusual physiology of the Andorians, intravenous injection is impossible; instead a doctor must opt for inter-muscular injection. (TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy") Antennae Andorians have on their heads two knobbed antennae which are used for balance. An Andorian is partially disabled and unable to fight immediately following the loss of an antenna, but is able to compensate within a day or so. The antenna itself can take up to nine months to regrow on its own, although the regeneration can be completed in around half that time with electrical stimulation and cranial massage therapy. The loss of an antenna is a humiliating experience for an Andorian to come to terms with. (ENT: "United") Antenna movement apparently expresses feelings as well. An Andorian will sometimes point their antennae at a potential mate to signify attraction. (DS9: "The Sound of Her Voice") :It is not known if this is a voluntary or involuntary response. Society Andorians are a militaristic warrior race. Service in the Andorian Imperial Guard was considered honorable and military ranks had a great influence on social reputations. However, Andorians never fight without reason, and deplore dishonesty, though they are capable of duplicity. Andorians consider their race to be deeply emotional and passionate, and although they are not known for their charity and have few sympathies they place a high value on family. (TOS: "Journey to Babel"; TAS: "Yesteryear") As a key member of the Federation, Andorian Ambassador Shras represented Andoria at the Babel Conference in 2268, at which it supported the admission of Coridan as a new member of the Federation. (TOS: "Journey to Babel") In 2286, the Andorians held two seats in the Federation Council. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) An Andorian served on the ruling council of the pocket dimension Elysia, during the late 23rd century. It is unknown how long his species had been trapped in that universe. (TAS: "The Time Trap") Traditions and Culture A crucial part of Andorian tradition is the so called ushaan, a code of honor demanding a duel to the death in which the combatants fight against each other with a ice miner's tool, the ushaan-tor. An enormous body of rules and regulations exists around this code of honor, summing up to 12,000 amendments. The Ushaan can be demanded by someone as a means of personal vengeance, e.g. to avenge a personal loss. However, there exists a right of substitution, allowing each combatant to put up a replacement for themselves. Furthermore, each married combatant can postpone a duel indefinitely, if there are no children to continue his claim. Additionally, the fight may be called off, if one combatant disables the other in way so he cannot continue the duel. (ENT: "United") If a member of the Andorian Imperial Guard dies far from home, his or her companions carry a part of the body back to the ice of Andoria. (ENT: "United") Andorian weddings are known to usually require groups of four people. Andorian females seem to have an equal position in Andorian society, being at least as capable soldiers as males. (ENT: "Proving Ground"; TNG: "Data's Day") Andorians also seem to have an artistic side, as Yanas Tigan, mother of Ezri Dax, imported hand-painted Andorian tiles for her Solarium in 2375. The Andorian Academy is considered by many to be the best art school in the Federation. (DS9: "Prodigal Daughter") :See also: * Andorian blues * Andorian jewelry * Andorian silk Food and Beverages * Andorian ale * Andorian fast food * Andorian tuber root * Andorian redbat * Andorian boiler * Andorian cabbage soup People * List of Andorians Appendices Appearances * TOS: ** "Journey to Babel" ** "The Gamesters of Triskelion" ** "Whom Gods Destroy" ** "The Lights of Zetar" * TAS: ** "Yesteryear" ** "The Time Trap" * Star Trek Movies: ** Star Trek: The Motion Picture ** Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ** Star Trek V: The Final Frontier * TNG: ** "Captain's Holiday" ** "The Offspring" * ENT: ** "The Andorian Incident" ** "Shadows of P'Jem" ** "Cease Fire" ** "Twilight" ** "Proving Ground" ** "Countdown" ** "Zero Hour" ** "Kir'Shara" ** "Babel One" ** "United" ** "The Aenar" ** "In a Mirror, Darkly" ** "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II" ** "Demons" ** "Terra Prime" ** "These Are the Voyages..." Background .]] Since Andorians were first seen in TOS: "Journey to Babel", their appearance has changed a lot, due to budgetary reasons and improved make-up techniques. An example of make-up evolution begins in "Journey to Babel", where Ambassador Shras had his antennae at the back of his head to cover their obvious splices to the skin of the actor. The first change to Andorian makeup can be seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, where the Andorians were given forehead ridges and had thin spindly antennae coming from the top of the forehead. TNG Season 3 had two brief Andorian appearances, one of whom was a possible appearance for Lal. These Andorians had more greenish blue skin, large bulbous heads and tall spindly antennae. Later, on Star Trek: Enterprise, Andorian's antennae were not only attached to the actor's forehead, but they were also movable. One possible in-universe explaination for these differences could be that the Andorian species, like human, features different ethnic or racial groups (supported by the existence of the Aenar). Another could be that the different appearances represent the multi-gendered nature of the species, hinted at in TNG: "Data's Day". Make-up screen tests were made for the image of an Andorian God in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. However, the image, like many ideas for the movie, would not manifest itself in the final cut of the movie. Apocrypha In the non-canonical novels published by Pocket Books, Andorians are depicted has having four sexes: zhen, shen, chan, and thaan. The reproductive functions and appearances of zhens and shens are roughly equivalent to those performed by females in two-sexed species, while chans and thaans are roughly equivalent to males in their biological function and appearance, though shens and chans are often percieved as being somewhat androgenous-looking to two-sexed species. The four-sexed paradigm, in the post-finale novels of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, is depicted as being responsible for the Andorian species having great difficulty maintaining replacement level population growth and facing extinction. The names of Andorians in the novels often consist of two names in the Andorian language, Andorii -- a personal name that is often quite long and shortened to something more akin to canonically-established Andorian names, and a clan name that is preceded by a prefix indicating sex. "Thirishar ch'Thane," thus, is a chan from the Thane clan who is commonly known as "Shar," for instance. While this information is non-canon, it is supported by a comment by Data in "Data's Day" that Andorian marriages require four people. Andorian Category:Species de:Andorianer nl:Andorian sv:Andorianer